Dwight Howard: I led a team in Orlando that was full of players nobody wanted

Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard was once one of the most beloved players in the NBA, but somewhere along the line he became a phony. Or, should we say, that became the public perception of Superman.

Howard has battled critics all season long in LA. Most of them are the same critics who have been riding him since he was a member of an Orlando Magic team that was heading in the wrong direction. Rather than letting his situation work itself out and remaining quiet, Howard opened his mouth on several different instances and came off as selfish and arrogant.

Howard recently sat down for an exclusive interview with KCAL9’s Kristine Leahy in an attempt to do some damage control, but he may have screwed up once again. He discussed how much passion he has for the game and how much it bothers him when people say he fakes injuries and doesn’t care about winning, but he also threw in a regrettable comment about his days with the Magic.

“I always tell people, hey, our team in Orlando was a team full of people who nobody wanted and I was the leader,” Howard explained. “I led that team with a smile on my face.”

If Howard always tells people that, that’s probably why he always comes across people who don’t like him. As Kelly Dwyer of Ball Don’t Lie mentioned, two of Dwight’s former teammates in Orlando — Earl Clark and Chris Duhon — were traded to LA with him. Although, I suppose they aren’t two of the players he was referring to that no team wanted.

This is the problem with Howard. Even if his heart is in the right place a lot of the time, he can’t seem to avoid saying that one thing that gives critics the right to bash him. Whether its calling his former teammates a bunch of nobody’s or acting buddy-buddy with Stan Van Gundy in front of the cameras, Dwight can’t seem to keep his image clean even when he tries.